Novel Rht-1 dwarfing genes: tools for wheat breeding and dissecting the function of DELLA proteins

Reduced height-1 (Rht-1) dwarfing alleles have provided an essential breeding tool for increasing wheat grain yields and providing lodging resistance under high inputs. In this issue (pages 443-455), Van De Velde et al. demonstrate the potential of novel Rht-1 alleles for allowing more flexible control of stature and preharvest sprouting resistance in wheat breeding programmes. On a fundamental level, these alleles provide an important opportunity to uncover the signalling events that are responsible for improving these traits.